References and Recommended Readings
Abstract: The Internet has become a driving force that is shaping Chinese society, and which causes conflicts between free speech and privacy. The pursuit of social monitoring and public shaming through Internet-powered manhunts, which is known as human flesh search (HFS), appears increasingly rampant in China and is insufficiently regulated. HFS reflects the desire for justice on the part of netizens and has the potential to open up access to government and promote transparency. However, there is a dark side to the phenomenon of HFS, since it inevitably raises longstanding concerns over the unreasonable intrusion on another critical value, that is, of personal privacy.
Chang, L. Y., & Poon, R. (2016). Internet Vigilantism: Attitudes and Experiences of University Students Toward Cyber Crowdsourcing in Hong Kong. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 10.1177/0306624X16639037.
With the development of the Internet, Internet vigilantism (netilantism) has emerged as a new phenomenon in recent years. Although there are several qualitative studies explaining netilantism, there is little empirical research on public perceptions of netilantism. This article aims to outline Hong Kong university students’ general perception of netilantism and investigate the differences between different roles in netilantism. By using empowerment theory as the theoretical framework, we will investigate whether Internet vigilantes (netilantes) (a) perceive the criminal justice system as effective, (b) possess high levels of self-efficacy in the cyber world, and (c) tend to believe netilantism can achieve social justice. Findings support the proposition that human flesh search engine is an empowerment tool for the netilante enabling him or her to achieve his goal of social justice. Different roles in netilantism (i.e., bystander, netilante, victim, and none of the above roles) have different perceptions of netilantism and the criminal justice system. The results will be explained by studying two representative cases of netilantism—the “Government Official Molestation” case and the “Cat Abuse in Shun Tin Village” case from China and Hong Kong, respectively.
Cheong, P. H., & Gong, J. (2010). Cyber Vigilantism, Transmedia Collective Intelligence, and Civic Participation. Chinese Journal of Communication, 3(4), 471-487.
Emerging media afford netizens the opportunity to participate in critical civic discourse by collaboratively constructing and sharing previously inaccessible information across multiple platforms. This paper examined the communicative behaviors constituting the recent phenomenon of cyber vigilantism (human flesh search) in China, particularly how emerging media have been appropriated for online searches to hunt for personal information about social deviants to restore public morality. Our findings suggest that the identification of corrupt officials and circulation of their private data online amplified attention on their abuse of power and pressured the authorities toward greater accountability. Blogs, forums, and social networking sites helped support the expression of alternative public opinions. Novel mash-ups further stimulated the transmediation of political parodies that challenged state discourse across video-sharing sites. This article concludes with implications and recommendations for critical and comparative research toward a broadened and culturally nuanced notion of civic participation.
Gao, L., & Stanyer, J. (2014). Hunting Corrupt Officials Online: The Human Flesh Search Engine and the Search for Justice in China. Information, Communication & Society, 17(7), 814-829.
While there is growing research on online politics in China some political uses of the Internet have tended to be overlooked. The focus of this article is on an emerging phenomenon in Chinese cyberspace, the human flesh search engine (HFSE), a term first used by the Chinese media to refer to the practice of online searching for people or ‘human hunting’. While existing examinations have focused on breaches of individual privacy by these so-called online ‘vigilantes’ this study focuses on the ability of HFSE to reveal norm transgressions by public officials and lead to their removal. In order to give readers a comprehensive overview of what an HFSE is, the first section of this article provides basic information about it. In the second part, 20 well-documented HFSE examples are listed to show their varying aims and then HFSEs which focus on local governments and officials are shown to highlight the political dimensions of HFSE. In the third section, four case studies of government/official-focused HFSE are explored in detail to show political HFSEs' internal processes and underlying mechanisms.
Huey, L., Nhan, J., & Broll, R. (2013). ‘Uppity Civilians’ and ‘Cyber-Vigilantes’: The Role of the General Public in Policing Cyber-Crime. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 13(1), 81-97.
Abstract: The distributed nature of the Internet requires that security issues be addressed through collaborative efforts within and across various sets of public and private actors. Drawing on nodal governance theory, this article explores one aspect of the role that the general public can and does play in the field of cyber-security: civilian policing of the Internet. In particular, we examine the motives and actions of regular citizens, who use their computer skills to identify, track and collect information on the activities of suspected criminal offenders. Whereas some groups use such information to engage in vigilante acts, the groups that we study work cooperatively with police, collecting information to pass onto criminal justice agencies. We suggest that these collectives and their members are a potentially useful, if under-valued, component of cyber-security networks.
Juliano, S. (2012).Superheroes, Bandits, and Cyber-Nerds: Exploring the History and Contemporary Development of the Vigilante. Journal of International Commercial Law & Technology, 7 (44), 1-21.
Abstract: This article will first discuss what defines a vigilante, the history of vigilantes, and the contemporary vigilante's effect on the legal system as a whole. Also, this article will focus on those scenarios that bring an ordinary person to react in an illegal way to a perceived injustice. In focusing on these scenarios, this article will examine a little more closely the answers of deeper questions about the nature of law and justice, and their roles in the accelerating world of new media
Smallridge, J., Wagner, P., & Crowl, J. N. (2016). Understanding Cyber-Vigilantism: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Criminology, 8(1), 57.
Abstract: This article proposes a conceptual framework for cyber-vigilantism that proves useful for distinguishing it from other potentially harmful online actions. An overview of vigilantism is first presented, with particular attention given to Johnston’s (1996) work, in which we use as a conceptual guide. Next, we discuss cyber-vigilantism along with several acts associated with this type of online activity. A number of cases involving vigilantism are identified and discussed. Through this analysis, a definition of cyber-vigilantism is developed that we argue is conceptually distinct and applicable to a wide range of contemporary online behaviors. Finally, future research considerations are offered to conclude.
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